Bella and the Bachelor
by Duessa
Summary: Bella & Edward, rated M. Many of the readers of the first edition requested the story's return. Well, here it is! (Edited Version)
1. A Fresh Start for Bella

**BPOV**

_Okay, Bella,_ I thought to myself. _Now is not the time to get sweaty palms about all of this. Just breathe. Everything is going to be fine. There is no pressure to win anything. This is all just for fun. Just have a good time. It's what this is all about for you._

It was a strange opportunity that had come my way. I wanted something different – something rare and fantastic – to happen in my life. It had finally arrived. I knew that I would regret giving up before anything even started, and all because I was a tad out of my comfort zone.

I had always considered myself very level-headed. I _still_ considered myself level-headed, at least up until the point where the limo was pulling up the drive. Panic set in and I seriously considered running away as the driver opened the door.

"Welcome," said the sweet, elderly gentleman, tipping his head respectfully. "I will have your things carried inside."

I took a deep breath as I stepped out and took in the grand view.

"Thank you," I replied.

I wasn't exactly sure where I should be going, and I was thankful that he offered me his arm and walked me inside the very large manor. Everything was very… out of my price range.

"The camera crew will be with you momentarily," he said. "Your preliminary interview will be in here."

He guided me into a large room off of another large room. Special lighting was placed all around a green chair. He offered me the seat.

"Can I get you a fresh drink," he offered.

"No, thank you."

"Very well," he said, nodding. He turned back toward me before he left the room and said very sincerely, "Good luck, mademoiselle."

I sighed deeply.

_Bella, you fool,_ I criticized myself.

On one hand, I knew that this was all meant to be nothing more than a shallow, brainless competition for some guy I'd never met once in my entire life. On the other hand, though, I also knew it was a way to make a very dramatic change in my life. Most people might begin a new chapter by reading a new genre or downloading some fresh music. But those things weren't going to be enough for me. I needed something different. I needed to do something wild.

_This will be on national television,_ I warned myself.

But I didn't care. I wasn't in this to win a man, or to get face time with a camera. I was here to have a once in a lifetime opportunity to try something very, very different. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to be wined and dined a little, but I mostly wanted to stick around long enough to fly somewhere exotic, maybe. Or to get some extreme makeover out of the deal. Who knew? I was honestly up for just about anything!

I was just surprised to get past the producer's merciless cuts when I signed up three months ago. Thousands, even tens of thousands of women tried to sign on for this circus. Only twenty-five of us made it through and I was very curious to see what the other women looked like and what kind of personalities I'd be bunking with. Maybe this is where I'd make a lifetime friend, or at least a pen pal or two? I worried that the other girls would be catty and immature, but then again, I was here and there was bound to be at least one other sane person, right?

Maybe I'd be the very first one sent home anyway, and then I wouldn't even have to unpack. Maybe I'd get sent to some five star hotel to finish out the time on my silence contract? A few weeks next to a pool with a few familiar books wouldn't be unbearable, after all.

"Isabella Swan," asked a lanky guy with trendy geek glasses.

"Bella," I said, standing up to offer him my hand. I recognized Bean from the elimination rounds. He was one of the producer's many minions. "Are you here to start the interview?"

"Very astute, Miss Swan. Yes, please have a seat and we'll get started straight away."

I sat down as the crew adjusted the lighting and fidgeted with their camera equipment. I wondered how I would be able to walk around like a normal person with them always present.

"So, Bella, tell us your name, a little bit about yourself, and why you're here." It went very quiet suddenly, and all eyes were on me.

"My name is Bella, I'm from a small town in Washington called Forks." Why was I here? What should I tell them? "I'm here to… to have a new experience. I've never gone on a date with a guy who was going on dates with twenty-four other women at the same time."

They chuckled a little.

"Yes, Bella, but can you be a little more specific? Why don't you tell us what you're looking for in a man? What's your type?"

"My type? Um, well, what I would look for in someone permanent is someone who is honest. Someone who is faithful. Someone who is easy to get along with and who doesn't have to entertain me all of the time. And someone who I don't have to entertain constantly, either. He would have to be someone who could be comfortable around me. Someone who doesn't have to keep secrets or feel like anything he perceives as lacking in himself is something to be ashamed of."

"Very nice," Bean said a little dryly. "But what about how he looks?"

"How he looks?"

"Yes. What are you looking for as far as looks?"

"Does it matter all that much?"

"Just humor us."

"I guess my ideal guy would be someone who isn't too uptight or angry looking, I guess? Someone approachable and who smiles a lot. Someone who you can look at him and just tell that he is trustworthy."

"Okay," Bean said as he tilted his head a little and pushed his frustrated hand against his forehead. "But what about the color of his hair or his eyes?"

"I don't really care what color his hair or eyes are."

"I think we'll stop here for now. Ernie will show you up to your room and you can get freshened up a bit. Maybe all of this travelling has made you tired. We'll come back to your interview another time."

The kind man who had led me into the interview room appeared at the doorway and offered me his arm again.

"I heard what you said," he told me as he walked me back out to the main entrance where there was a grand staircase.

"Did I botch it?"

"I think you did wonderfully, Miss Swan. You are a delight compared to the other ladies." Were the other girls here already?

He led me around the stairs and into a large living room area.

"Ernie," I started, but then paused. I wanted to get more information out of him, but I didn't want to seem crass. I liked him and felt in my heart that I could trust him. "This is a very grand house."

"It is one of the gentleman's many houses, Miss Swan."

"Wait a minute! Do you mean to tell me that the guy they got for the show actually _owns_ this home? I thought it was all, you know, scenery for the show?"

I started to panic suddenly and realized that I was clutching onto Ernie's arm a little too tightly. _Bella, _I told myself, _you don't belong in a house like this. Whoever this guy is, he must be rich! You are not going to be his type. Not by a long shot! He's probably a stuck up snob looking for someone to scratch a weekend itch. Get out while you still can! _

Ernie chuckled. "The other ladies do not seem as worried as you do, Isabella – if I may call you by your given name."

"Of course you may, Ernie. But please tell me, what are the other girls like?"

"Well…" He looked up as if to contemplate how to answer. "They seem more excited than nervous to learn of the gentleman's wealth."

We made our way through the room to a set of large double doors in the center of two beautiful stone fountains surrounded my magnificent greenery. The natural light of the morning came through the tall windows that wrapped around the entire room through the doors. Inside were many beautiful women, some sitting on couches, others standing and mingling in groups. They all seemed to get along just fine, chatting and giggling. I felt the silence rest heavily upon me as twenty-one gorgeous women all turned their eyes to glare at me in unison.

I suddenly felt very under-dressed and inferior in every way as the women scanned me over. I wished that I could have somehow arrived earlier so that there would have been fewer stares.

Most of the women looked like they had some kind of work done, whether it was their lips, noses, or of course their breasts. Most of them were a golden bronze as well – none naturally. Many of them were wearing dresses and skirts so short that the lower half of their butts were hanging out of them. One girl had glitter in her hair and eyelash extensions that looked like feathers. Yet another had on a pleather neon pink cheetah print strapless mini-dress with six-inch spiked heels. I started to wonder what kind of guy we would be wooing here. Based on this sample of women, I was beginning to wonder if the guy would even be worth the effort. I wasn't sure that he would be anything like the ideal guy I had described downstairs to Bean and the camera crew.

_I'm only here for the fun of it, anyway,_ I told myself. _Don't make the mistake of making this all about a guy. There's no point in it._

"Hello there," chimed a kind voice from beside me.

I turned to see a woman with an angelic face smiling brightly at me. Her hair was short and choppy. Her smile was absolutely flawless, but also sincere. I felt sure that this would be my new pen pal. She was the only one with a dress down to her knees like me.

"I'm Alice," she said with a smile. "Alice Brandon."

I took her hand gladly, eager to relax and have a friend.

"Bella Swan." I sighed with relief. "Thank you so much, Alice."

"For what," she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know," I admitted. "I think I was feeling a little out of place just now, and I think your kind presence might have just saved me from some sort of emotional collapse."

She giggled and invited me to sit down on one of the couches with her.

"When did you arrive," I asked.

"I was the first one to get here. I arrived at five this morning."

"Where are you from?"

"Chicago. And you?"

"Forks," I answered. "It's a small town in Washington. It's nothing like Chicago, I'm sure. I think our most popular fashion trends include plaid and fish hooks."

She giggled again. "Well, Bella, you certainly don't look like plaid and fish hooks." She motioned to my deep purple wrap dress and leather heels.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

I wasn't typically one for putting on all the bells and whistles. The truth was that I felt absolutely naked in anything that even resembled fashionable clothing. As a matter of fact, I would have been happy to trade everything I brought with me for a single pair of jeans and a worn out fitted t-shirt.

"So what is it that you do in the world, Bella," she asked.

"I'm a linguist," I said.

_Here it comes…_

"What's a linguist?"

_Yup._

"Linguistics is the scientific study of languages. It's not so much that I study everything about languages so much as how people think because of the language that they have available to them. Ideas are embedded into every human being from the second they're born and so much of how we each feel about the world comes from our ability to categorize information from it and store it inside of us and ponder it."

"Interesting. Are you going to use your communication skills to win over the bachelor," she teased. She didn't seem at all competitive over the matter.

I laughed. "I'm not sure."

"Not sure? About what?"

"I'm not sure if I'm the right kind of girl for him. I just found out that he's very rich, and I'm not sure how I got selected for this anyway. I'm not really sure that I fit in with his type of woman." I gestured around us to prove my point.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see what his type actually is." She smiled kindly.

"You're right, Alice."

"Well, I'm very glad you're here, Bella. I hope to see more of you."

Just then the remaining contestants entered the room.

"Alright ladies! Everyone's here," shouted a woman with a clipboard. She entered the room and was surrounded by four men in jeans and crew t-shirts, another man in a casual suit, and Bean. "Before we get started for the day, let me please remind everyone of the contracts you each signed. Remember that cameras may be _anywhere_ at _any time_. You all signed away your privacy for the duration of the show and as long as you are on this property or on a sponsored property, you may be filmed by this show's crew at any given time. Whatever we collect on film we have the right to edit any way we please. Additionally, I will tell you all now, and I'm only going to say this _once_, if you are eliminated from this show you must pack and leave immediately. No dilly-dallying will be tolerated. Goodbye means so long. Is that understood?"

We all nodded our heads.

"Good," she said. "My name is Heidi and I will be seen by all of you from time to time as the show goes on. My main purpose is to gather you together once every so many days for elimination rounds. You'll find that all the information you need for the next few days is on a handout that my assistant, Marcus," (she motioned to the man in the suit), "will be handing each of you as you exit. Each of you will share a room with four other women. Your respective luggage has already been delivered, along with a gown for each of you to wear to the Introduction Ball this evening. Everything we loan you to wear is sized according to the paperwork you filled out pre-show, so for those 'size two's' out there, I hope for your own sakes that you were giving honest measurements and not merely trying to impress anyone." She stopped to snicker to herself for a moment before continuing. "I'll let you all go now, but let me give you this tiny piece of advice first: don't bother unpacking. There are twenty-five of you in this room now, but only fifteen of you will be staying after the ball tonight. The festivities begin at seven sharp and the first elimination round will be at midnight. So good luck to all of you."

I heard an audible overall gasp of the crowd and I looked around to see all of the girls' stunned faces. Some of them looked a little strained as they were probably trying to calculate how many of them would be leaving by the end of the night, and I chuckled to myself as Glitter-Hair struck an epiphany half a moment too late to impress anyone.

"Ten," she gasped, holding eight fingers up and looking a little confused still. Her feathery eyelashes were batting rapidly as she seemed to come to the realization that she managed to subtract fifteen from twenty-five correctly. "That means that _ten_ of us will be leaving today!"

"Are you sure," asked Pink Leopard Dress.

"Yeah, 'cause like, twenty-five and then minus the fifteen from that, right?" Someone should have skipped glitter school and attended a few more basic math classes, but perhaps that ship had long since sailed. "Like, that means ten will go home doesn't it?"

Alice and I glanced at one another in a knowing way. We'd obviously been listening in on the same conversation, and we giggled together. We were the closest ones to the doors and the paperwork that Heidi had mentioned was being shoved in our faces as the herd of women began to push from behind us. We were both hurried out into the main living room where we decided to step aside and wait while the stampede of girls made their way around us and up the stairs.

"Well, the first elimination is all happening very quickly, don't you think," Alice asked.

"I guess so," I said, shrugging my shoulders. I felt a playful grin spread across my face. "Like, doesn't that mean that, like, _ten_ of us will be leaving?"

She snickered at my very accurate impression and chimed right in.

"I don't know," she laughed. "Like, don't we have to multiply by the square root of pi, or like, something?"

We had a good laugh and decided to make our way upstairs.

"I doubt _you'll_ be going anywhere," she said with a wink. "I'm sure you won't be in the first ten tonight."

"I don't know about that, Alice. I'm not sure how well I really fit in here."

"Why's that? Are you afraid of getting shredded by the catty cheerleaders?"

I laughed. "No. Catty cheerleaders I think I can handle. I'm just anxious to see who this bachelor is. Do you know anything about him?"

"None of the contestants have been told a single thing as long as I've been here," she said. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

I sighed.

"Are you afraid he'll be dreadful or something?"

"I'm afraid he'll be shallow," I confessed. "I don't know how we were all selected to be here, and most of those girls don't appear to be too intelligent. That, or they seem to be trying too hard to be someone they're not."

"Well, who cares if they're pretending? Maybe this guy is smarter than we give him credit for? Maybe he'll be able to discern that right away and ten of the ditziest scatterbrains you've ever met in your life will be sent home?"

"Let's hope to that!"

When we finally got upstairs, there was no one to be seen.

"What's your room," Alice asked.

I checked the paper I'd been handed. "Mine just says Viridian Room."

"Well," she said excitedly. "It looks like we will be seeing more of each other, then. I'm also in the Viridian Room."

We found the right door and entered the room to find two of the three other girls busily unpacking. They were in the middle of some sort of bragging contest.

"Well, that is really cute, Maria," said a strawberry blonde with a false smile. "But I'm going to have to say that his type is probably more _me_."

The one named Maria smiled back and said in a charming, Spanish accent, "I don't know Tanya. If he's looking for real love then he's looking for _me_!"

"Hi," said a sweet girl from the corner. She was sitting on the edge of her bed next to her luggage. "I'm Bree Tanner. These are our roommates, Tanya Denali and Maria South."

"Hello," I said. "I'm Bella Swan and this is Alice Brandon."

"You look familiar," Maria said to Alice, almost suspiciously. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"No," Alice said quickly. "I doubt it. I don't really get out much anyway."

"Where are you from," Maria asked her, pressing the matter.

"Chicago," Alice answered. "And you?"

"Houston."

"I've never been to Houston, but maybe you've come to Chicago? But then," Alice said with a smile, "it's a very big city."

"Yeah," Maria nodded. "It just seems like I know you from _somewhere_."

"Maybe it'll come to you," Alice suggested. "Where are the rest of you from," Alice asked Tanya and Bree.

"I'm from New York," Tanya declared proudly.

"Seattle," Bree said shyly.

"Well," Alice said with delight, "That puts you in the same home state as Bella here. She's from Forks. Have you ever heard of it?"

"Umm, I'm not sure," Bree answered. She continued to sit on the edge of her bed, looking rather nervous and unsure of herself.

"What do you think he'll be like," Alice asked.

"Hopefully he's as _rich_ as he appears to be," Tanya said, her eyes dancing with excitement at the prospect of snagging a wealthy man.

"And he's probably a fox," Maria chimed in. "At least, he'd _better_ be. I don't really see the point of going after an ugly rich guy when there are plenty of handsome ones on the market currently."

"And if they're not _eligible_ bachelors, that doesn't mean they can't be," Tanya snickered. "I'll admit, I've wrecked my fair share of homes."

Maria joined in Tanya's laughter. Bree looked away.

"So, money and hunkiness," Alice summed up.

"Why," Maria questioned. "What are _you_ hoping he'll be like?"

Alice took a moment to answer. "Hmm," she started. "I guess I just have one hope and it's that he'll narrow us down by how much he likes each of us for who we really are. I don't know if anyone in this house is his type or not, or what will come of any of this. I just want him to find happiness for once."

"For once," Tanya asked. "What makes you think he's not happy already?"

"Well, I can't say," Alice said. "I mean, who really knows, right? In fact, who knows _anything_ about the guy?"

"I can't wait to find out," Bree said. There was finally a bit of excitement in her voice. "Did you see our dresses by the way? They're hanging up right over there in the closet off the bathroom. I can't wait for the ball. I've never been to one before!"

Tanya and Maria rushed over to the gowns. There was a dress for each of us, each hanger designated a nametag.

"Oh, it's splendid," Maria said, gushing over a pale rose, floor-length gown with obvious Spanish influence in the design of the beading. It was tight-fitted until where it would reach her knees. Then it gave room for flaring out.

"I think mine might have a notch more class," Tanya said nonchalantly about her gold backless gown and matching heels. It poofed out the way a dress does in stereotypical fairytales.

Bree's dress was baby blue with silver straps and heels. Alice's was a smoky-gray with silver beading down the deep v-neck front. And mine…

_How are you going to pull this one off, Swan?_

It was a strapless, glossy, beautiful emerald gown. The top was fitted similar to a corset and the length of the gown flowed freely. The heels matched exactly.

"What size is yours," Tanya asked.

"Why," I asked.

She held her gown up to her body, the gears in her head obviously churning away. "Mine appears to be a tad too small."

Alice took a peek at Tanya's name tag on the hanger. "Says it's a four," Alice said as she read the tag.

"It _looks_ like a four," I agreed.

"Well, I _am_ a four," Tanya said hotly, "but this dress seems to be too small."

"Or maybe you're just too big for a four," Maria chortled.

"Bella, you look like you could squeeze into this for me. Wanna trade?"

"We shouldn't trade," Bree warned.

"Why not," Tanya snapped.

"Read the tags."

"_Each dress has been designed to fit the girls' personalities and individual tastes. Please do not exchange gowns with any other girl. – Staff."_

"Who picked these things out, anyway," Tanya complained.

"Whoever it was has _excellent _taste, don't you think," Alice asked me.

I nodded my head enthusiastically. "They are all amazing! Someone out there has an amazing eye. Although, my dress might outshine me tonight."

"Don't be silly," Alice fussed. "Hold your dress up to you. Look at how it accentuates every tone in your skin! And just imagine with the hair pins holding back your luscious curls – you will be stunning!"

"Hair pins?"

"Don't you have the hair pins," she asked as she dug through the black accessory bag slung over the hanger. She grabbed two emerald hair pins from the bag and raised them to the sky victoriously. "Here they are! See? They match the necklace." She pulled out a box containing a stunning chain with an emerald pendant.

"Alice," I whispered. "How did you know there would be hair pins? And how did you know there would be a matching necklace?"

"Uh… just female intuition, I guess. Gowns like these _usually_ have hair pins to match, right? And could you really be expected to wear a corset top without a pendant?"

"I guess," I said with a shrug. "I've never worn a ball gown before, let alone accessorize one."

"Well, there's a first time for everything now isn't there?" She strode off to her luggage and began to unpack all sorts of hair styling products: hot curlers; a blow dryer; a straightening iron; the works. "If you'd like, Bella, I'd be happy to do your hair for you this evening."

"I will definitely take you up on that offer, Alice." I didn't know the first thing about putting in hair pins. "This is a sort of competition, though," I reminded her. "Are you sure you want to help me?"

"Absolutely. Right after we grab a little bit of lunch downstairs."

I opened the accessory bag and placed the hair pins and necklace case back inside.

"Here," Alice whispered, motioning toward the closets. "Each wardrobe has a key. I suggest you lock up that dress before Miss Denali snatches it."

"Do you really think she would do something like that?"

"Oh, absolutely! Don't underestimate a single one of them. _You_ may be here with good intentions, Bella, but that doesn't mean that everyone has the same code of ethics. Some of these women are entirely cut-throat and they're in it to win this man like he's some sort of trophy."

"How can you tell who's who?"

"Take it from me, Bella. Sometimes, a woman just knows."

"Fair enough." I grabbed all of my things and stacked them in the wardrobe. I didn't bother taking anything out of the luggage yet. I didn't want to take any longer than was necessary to leave this place, should I be among the ten tonight. I locked the closet and strung the key around my necklace, then turned to go.

"Are the rest of you coming for lunch," Alice asked.

"I'll be down in a minute," Bree said. "Will you save me a seat next to you two?"

"Of course," I said, happy to have another possible friend in the house.

"I'll be down in a little while," Maria said. She was pulling some of the beading off of her dress and re-designing it with a needle and a shade of thread that didn't match the dress. "I think the neckline needs to be _much_ deeper. And it's waaay too long. I like to have my skirts short!"

"I won't be going down for lunch today," Tanya grumbled. "I have a dress to squeeze into tonight. It's not that I'm not a four, by the way! It's just that whoever picked it out must have grabbed one that had a mislabeled size or something. I swear, they must not have a very large budget for their wardrobe department, because whoever they have on staff must have only half a brain! Heaven forbid they should hire someone who could get the job done properly."

"Come on, Bella," Alice huffed. She had a fire in her eye. We were half way down the hall when she rolled her eyes and laughed wildly. "Whoever picked out that dress did their job just fine. I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of the girls who lied about her measurements! And where does Maria get off cutting up that masterpiece? Just imagine! Whoever created it probably spent _forever_ beading it by hand!"

"Whoever made it did their job very well," I agreed. "It's not the designer's fault that the wearers of the dresses can't appreciate beautiful art."

She calmed down a bit. "Come on," she said, transitioning to a happier beat. "Let's go scope out the rest of the girls. I wonder if there are any more neon animal prints to be seen?"

We snickered together all the way down the stairs.


	2. Bella's Ribbon

**A/N:** Hello everyone! So many of the original readers of this particular story have been asking for its return to Fanfic. It was originally published in 2010 and taken off the market in 2012. I have obviously tweaked it a bit, and it is to keep the original readers interested as they give it a second go. To the new readers of _Bella & the Bachelor_: Welcome!

This story was such a joy to write the first time and it is so much fun to jazz it up the second time. I don't know how much longer the story will be with all of the additional scenes I have planned. I guess we'll have to wait and see…

Yours,

Stephanie

P.S. For those of you requesting the return of _More_, it will probably be next on the list, following the completion of _Legerdemain_ (the third installment of _The Secret_ series). It has taken me a long time to go through this sizzling love triangle (Is triangle the right word? It seems like it should rather be called a love hexagon, or something of the like! Ha!), and figure out how to make all of the adjustments I wanted to make, but I suppose it's finally time to re-unveil it.

XXXXXXXXXX

**BPOV**

Alice and I found our way to the kitchen. There were platters of catered goods all over the large island in the center of the kitchen. The casual dining area off to the side was crowded, considering the fact that many of the crew members were eating with us. Some of the girls were sitting on the guys' laps, running their fingers through their hair and getting a little frisky. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Who is it that they're here to win over," she muttered under her breath. "Some of these girls are just downright _sluts_."

I had to admit that I agreed with that.

"Here," I said, offering her a plate of goodies. "Let's eat our pain." I giggled and she joined in.

"I like having you around," Alice said warmly as she took the plate. "You make this whole experience bearable."

"I feel the same way about you, Alice."

"Awww!"

"Awww," I mirrored. Again, we giggled.

I wouldn't normally be so open in a room full of strangers, but it was easy with Alice. We pushed our way through the throng of hopefuls, looking for other girls to befriend. We found Leah Clearwater and Charlotte Peters from the Scarlett Room, and Angela Weber and Emily Young of the Azure Room. According to them, some of their bunk buddies were no kinder than Maria or Tanya.

"It seems like we're all grouped that way," Leah observed. "Two or three nice girls in a room with two or three witches."

"So true," Emily agreed. "Don't even get me started on this mean redhead that poor Angela had to deal with twice already since we got here. It's not just that she's stuck up, which she _is_, but she's absolutely cut-throat!"

"But I'm sure she can put on the charm," Angela warned. "I really hope the bachelor will be able to see through her vicious snares!"

"I'm sure the guy isn't an absolute idiot," Alice reassured us. "And I'm sure he doesn't want a mean floozy, either."

"Here's to hope," Charlotte toasted, raising her glass of grape juice high in the air.

"To hope," we all said together, following suit.

Alice spent a lot of time making her way from one group to the next, asking general questions about what the girls hoped the bachelor would be like. I shadowed her and was able to hear many of their motives for myself.

Some of the girls were in it for the money. They just figured he would be rich. Others wanted to get their five minutes of fame on TV. Some were curious and others swore up and down that they were actually in the game to find true love.

"Why are _you_ here," one of the girls asked me.

I struggled to answer that question. The truth was that I wasn't here for any of those things. I didn't care two sniffs about the guy's money. And as far as being on TV goes, I was hoping to scrape by with as little camera time as possible. My plan was to be and remain a wallflower. I was here to get a fresh start.

I wanted the experience to be a direct marker in my life that signaled to the world that I, Bella Swan, can get out there and try new things, even if my love life in that past was a bit tattered and torn. I had come out of a terrible break up within the last year, and I found myself to be hiding away, never going out at all. I didn't have the desire to meet anyone else for the fear of everything that went wrong last time happening all over again. I felt in my heart that I had done everything right in that relationship, and yet it went so terribly wrong. I didn't know if I would actually be willing to put my whole heart out there again, especially on national television!

"To try new things," I answered simply.

"Like what things," another girl asked.

"I've been in a small town my entire life," I explained. "It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else from the day you're born to the day you die. I guess I just wanted to be a part of something extraordinary. I saw an ad for this and decided to give it a whirl. It was all on a whim."

"Well, I hope you don't plan on staying too long," Maria said in a sickly sweet voice. She approached the group Alice and I were conversing with. "I really don't think some country bumpkin is going to be _this_ guy's type. Too bad," she tisked. "Poor Bella. Aren't girls from _your_ kind of place the kind that get married young and have a thousand kids? What happened? If you couldn't manage to secure one of your homely, blue-collared peasants, what on God's green earth makes you think you'll be able to sink your claws into an intelligent, handsome member of the elite class?"

"One doesn't have to come from money to be lovable," I countered. "I don't even care if he's rich or poor. True love doesn't make a class distinction, Maria."

She narrowed her eyes at me, then her firm grimace softened to a sickeningly forced smile. "Tonight will prove you wrong, Bella. Take a good, long look at me, and then go stand in front of a mirror. Money may or may not purchase his affections, but surely anyone of _his_ fortune won't be able to see past the ratty trash that you are. Poor thing," she tisked again. "Your mediocre rags will not be able to compare to my designer wardrobe, you poor, penniless little thing."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

"Girls like you don't belong here, Bella," she continued. There was a cold glint in her eye that revealed the pleasure she took in hurting me this way.

"Shut your _damn_ mouth," Alice interrupted before Maria could say another word. "Come on, Bella."

She grabbed my arm and led me out of the room. We were half way down a long hallway that turned to another part of the house when I felt overcome with emotion. I let a few more tears slip.

"Bella," she said soothingly. "Don't listen to that bitch. She has no right to tell you things like that."

"It's okay, Alice." I wasn't really here for love, anyway. I just hated the way she made me feel – so small, so insignificant.

"No," she argued. "It is _not_ okay for someone to treat you so badly. You can't make assumptions about this guy based on what Maria just told you. She just feels threatened by you, Bella. She's afraid that this time her money won't be able to buy her what she wants. She probably knows that _this_ time someone else is going to outshine her. Money can't buy true love, as you know, Bella. And it can't buy a kind heart, either. You have a very kind heart, and she never will. She's threatened by it."

"Okay," I said, nodding my head. I wiped the tears away from my cheeks. "I'm sorry to have cried like that. I really don't know what came over me. It's not like me to get so emotional."

"It's okay. Trust me. I've met my share of mean girls. I know what it can feel like to be attacked like that." Just then, she got a gleam in her eye. "Let's start getting ready! I have big plans for you!"

She took me by the arm again and led me up the stairs to our room.

We walked in only to hear Tanya in the bathroom, throwing up.

"Are you okay," I asked gently through the door.

"She's fine," Alice laughed.

"She doesn't _sound_ fine."

"Trust me," Alice said with a chuckle. "She's fine. She is probably just desperate to fit into that dress."

"Are you saying…"

Alice nodded her head. "Yup. She's throwing up to try to squeeze into it."

"Oh my gosh," I gasped.

"Welcome to the elite class," she snickered sarcastically. "I'm going to grab our things for tonight and maybe one of our new friends will let us use their bathroom to get ready."

We found Angela and Emily, who generously offered us the Azure room. Alice unpacked a large bag and set up shop at a vanity area just outside of the actual bathroom. She had every kind of styling tool a girl could dream of, along with dozens of bottles of very expensive hair products.

"Here," she said, tossing me a bottle. "Shower with this. It will exfoliate you from head to toe. You have ten minutes while all of these things heat up."

I did as she said and returned to find Alice laying out several makeup palettes. She motioned for me to sit down in a chair so she could style my hair.

"I was thinking we could do a smoky eye tonight," she said.

"I don't usually wear a lot of makeup."

"And you don't usually go on a show to date someone, either, I suppose?"

I laughed at that.

"Aren't you here to try new things," she reminded me.

"Okay," I agreed. "Do what you will. I'm putty in the master's hand."

She squealed at my consent. An hour later she was going on about how she told me told me so.

"You look exquisite, Bella!"

She was right. I hardly recognized the girl in the mirror.

"Alice, you are such a wonderful friend to me! What can I do for you in return?"

"Just promise me that you'll enjoy every second of rubbing your magnificent beauty into Maria's disgusting, hateful face!"

"I promise."

"And promise me that you'll be genuine with this bachelor, whoever he is. He deserves someone kind like you."

"Or like _you_," I said to remind her that this was a competition. "You are very beautiful and generous. And from Chicago. Nothing like Forks, of course. You seem to fit in here better than I do, in fact."

"Don't let what Maria said get into that brain of yours, Bella. You _do_ belong here," she assured me as she helped me into my dress.

She got her hair ready, and helped other nice girls, too. She did such a marvelous job at dolling us all up.

"I have to run back to my wardrobe," she said after she got her dress on. "I'm afraid I left my necklace in my room."

Two minutes later we heard her let out a shriek.

"Alice, are you okay?" I hurried down the hall to the Viridian Room.

"What have you _done_," she screamed at Tanya, who had taken a pair of sheers to the golden dress.

"Well, the rules say I can't trade my dress, but there's nothing in the instructions that say I can't alter the gown. I decided to make it a little more… exquisite."

"Exquisite?! It's half way up your thighs and missing its sides! You look ridiculous! You look like a retarded cow!"

Tanya huffed hotly and marched toward Alice aggressively. Alice stood her ground firmly, even though Tanya towered over her.

"You _ruined_ it," Alice seethed. Her fists were clenched tightly, her arms straight down at her sides. "Dress murderer!"

"Who are _you_ to police me on what to wear," Tanya asked accusingly. "I improved this dress."

"No. You _massacred_ it!"

Tanya looked like she was about to punch Alice's lights out.

"Come on, Alice," I urged. I didn't want this to get any uglier. "Let's go downstairs. It's almost seven. We don't want to be late for the ball."

Alice pulled me toward her and gestured from my head to toe. "_That_ is what qualifies me," Alice argued. "Take a good look at her, Tanya. _Then_ tell me I'm not an authority on the matter of fashion."

Tanya gasped when she noticed me. She looked infuriated. Her nostrils flared and her eyes looked like they housed the flames of hell.

"We should go, Alice," I practically begged. For as much as Tanya had looked like she would take a swing at Alice, I was now sure that she was going to smack me around.

Alice's stance slackened a bit, and I took advantage of the opportunity by dragging her out of the room.

"I think we need to stay away from Tanya tonight," I advised.

"I think you need to be in her line of vision as much as possible," she said. "It obviously brings out her true ugly side. I want the bachelor to see it."

"I'm sure he'll get a chance to see it without our help. Let's just steer clear of her. I honestly thought she was going to knock my lights out back there."

"Have fun looking like an idiot at the ball," Alice called behind us toward Tanya. We heard Tanya's high pitched scream echo through the hall as we made our way downstairs. "That damn whore," Alice fumed. "I can't believe she ruined that masterpiece! She got all cut-happy is what probably happened. She probably started by trying to take out the side seam but realized too late that there wasn't enough fabric to allow for a resizing. I mean, you can't exactly let out a dress with less than half an inch of seam allowance, now can you? I'll bet she tried to take a little off the bottom at first to add it to the sides, but that's the thing about delicate tulle, you know. Without a proper working table and the right know-how, there's no way you can line everything up right. She probably just kept cutting and cutting until it got that short, and then she gave up, sewing part of the bottom of the gown to the sides with _black_ thread to top it all off!"

"It's okay, Alice. She is the one who is going to look foolish. Not us."

"You're right."

"You certainly do know a lot about dresses," I added.

"Yes, well… I'm _really_ into fashion."

As we entered the ballroom I couldn't help but notice that many of the girls were staring at us. We found our group of nice girls and hurried over to join them. We started to chitchat, but it was interrupted by Marcus, Heidi's assistant.

"Miss Brandon, you are required upstairs," he said.

"Wait," I said, holding fast to Alice's arm. "Why are you leaving?" Was she in some sort of trouble for getting into it with Tanya earlier?

"Sorry girls," she said casually with a shrug. "Try not to miss me too much."

The other girls chuckled lightly, but not me. I was worried that Alice wasn't going to be coming back at all. What would I do without my new friend? But then, she wouldn't actually be kicked off of the show for yelling at someone, would she? It wasn't like catfights could be avoided entirely.

I watched as Marcus escorted her away into a hallway with another staircase that was off limits to the guests in the house. Maybe she was being called into Heidi's office? Maybe Tanya was in there waiting for an apology or something? Maybe she complained to the producers of the show that Alice had started it all? It would be just like her to do something petty like that, too.

"Is everything okay, Bella," Angela asked.

"I hope so."

If Alice was in trouble it couldn't have had anything to do with seeing Heidi because just half a minute later she came strolling out with a microphone and her clipboard. Marcus and Bean followed behind her, and then in came the camera crew.

"Hello ladies!" She had a very excited energy about her. "Are you all ready to meet our eligible bachelor at last?"

There was a round of cheering from the girls. Some of them were jumping up and down like they were at a concert.

"Alright. Let's go over the rules for the evening."

I suddenly noticed out of the corner of my eye Tanya strolling through the crowd. I eagerly looked around for Alice, and realized that she was not with us. How was it that Tanya was present, but Alice was nowhere to be seen? What had Tanya accused her of that was so bad that she had to miss out on the ball? I felt a pang of anger at the thought of poor Alice being chewed out in some producer's office while Tanya had the luxury of being here with the rest of us.

"What's the matter," Charlotte asked. "Are you not feeling well?"

I looked around one more time, hoping that Alice had returned after all and that I had just missed it. My heart sunk as I realized that she really wasn't in attendance.

"I'm okay," I lied.

Everyone was on the move suddenly, and it was then that I'd realized I had zoned out for Heidi's entire spiel on what would be going on tonight.

"Here you are, ladies," she announced into the microphone. "Each of you come and find your ribbon, please. Remember, you may only choose _one_ of the gentlemen, and you only have one hour to make your selection. Whoever chooses the correct bachelor will win a prize."

I followed my group to the table where a long line of red ribbons with pin-backs were being distributed. Each of the twenty-four – _not_ twenty-five – ribbons on the table had the name of one of the contestants on it. I scanned around, searching for Alice's ribbon. Like her, it was nowhere to be found. Had they really removed her over something as silly as telling Tanya the truth about her chopped up dress? I felt anger well up inside of me as I watched Tanya pick up her ribbon.

As soon as all of the ribbons were collected, the lights in the ballroom dimmed as a set of grand double doors on either side of the ballroom opened. A dozen or so handsome gentlemen walked in and lined up. Love songs played as they scattered themselves around the room, apparently waiting to be asked to dance by the ladies.

"Now remember to take turns dancing," Heidi reminded everyone.

_Dancing?_ I must have really zoned out earlier. I clutched my ribbon tightly and stood off to the side to observe all of the guys at once.

Each was very handsome in his own way. But that was to be expected. I knew nothing about what the true bachelor would look like, but I did know that this was his house. I knew he wouldn't feel nervous in it – a vibe that two or three of the guys were giving off. I also believed that he wouldn't be too chatty. I noticed another four or so of the guys leading their conversations, so they were out of the running for _my_ ribbon.

Twenty-five minutes passed by me, by which point I was able to cross off ten of the dozen guys for various reasons – mostly based on simple gut feelings about them.

"Bella," Leah giggled as she danced by me with one of the gentlemen. "You haven't dance with a single guy yet!"

I shrugged my shoulders. There were only two guys left that I would be willing to place my ribbon on, and neither of them had been suspected by the others yet. There were three guys that had red ribbons pinned all over their tuxedo fronts by about twenty of the women. The rest of the ribbons were scattered around. Mine was the only ribbon left unpinned.

I wondered which man I should bet on.

"Hmm," I thought out loud.

There was a tall, lean gentleman with wild hair and bright green eyes on my left, and a muscular hunk with short spikes and soft blue eyes on my right.

_Longer, messy hair, green eyes, _I decided. Out of all of the men in the room, if I could choose any one of them to be the bachelor, it would have been him anyway. He was so calm and there was something about him that drew me to him.

I approached the man I had singled out and he offered me his arm. He escorted me to the center of the ballroom and twirled me around once before placing his arms around my waist.

"Hello," he said softly. "I'm Edward Cullen."

"Bella."

"It's nice to meet you, Bella. I was wondering when you were going to come over and ask for a dance."

"Oh, really?"

He nodded his head and grinned. "They're all waiting on your ribbon," he said. "It's the only one left. They'll end the dance early if all of the ribbons are pinned."

"I still have thirty-five minutes to decide," I said matter-of-factly.

"Yes," he smiled, "I suppose you do. Are you going to pin it on me?"

"I haven't decided yet." That wasn't true. It was going to be him. But I didn't want them to end the dance early. There was an electricity between us that seemed to be flowing through him and into me – through me and right back into him. It felt too good to allow it to stop.

"So, Bella, do you think that _I_ could be the bachelor?"

"I hope so."

"Why's that?"

"You're the only one in this room right now that I _want_ to be dancing with right now. It would be a wonderful thing if you were the one, Edward."

He smiled and looked away a little shyly. He shook his head and met my eyes with his. I almost couldn't breathe in when he looked at me that way. He was just too… exactly what I had ever hoped for.

"What made you choose me," he asked.

"Instinct. I think."

"Instinct, huh? Are you going to give me your ribbon, Bella?"

"You seem very sure of yourself."

"Is that a terrible thing?"

"It's not. But I still have thirty minutes to decide."

"Twenty-nine," he corrected. "Are you going to spend all of the rest of the time with me?"

"Will you let me?"

"I would love to dance with you for the remaining twenty-nine minutes, Bella."

"Twenty-eight now," I corrected him. "And yes. I am going to spend the rest of my time with you, Edward."

He smiled and brought me closer to him with his strong arms. He wrapped his hand around mine and placed it over his chest. He leaned his head closer to mine and I placed my cheek against his. The truth was that I hoped with all my heart that Edward Cullen was the bachelor. I made up my mind then and there that if he wasn't then I would leave the show and chase after him as soon as the night was over.

The minutes passed by too quickly. As each love song ended I felt fear in the pit of my stomach. Each ending was a reminder that three or four minutes had just slipped through the sands of our time together. We now had only four minutes left – just one song.

"Time with you flies by too quickly, Bella," he whispered into my ear.

"_Are_ you the one," I asked him bravely.

"I can't tell you that."

"Tell me where you're from, then. If you're not the one tonight, maybe I can track you down someday?"

I felt him smile against my skin. "I'm from Chicago," he said. "But… it's a big city."

"So I've heard."

"One minute left," he said sadly.

"I still have that minute."

"Fifty-five seconds," he corrected.

"Tell me more about you, Edward. Hurry. Tell me how I can find you again."

I heard the sound of a clock ticking down the seconds of the remaining half minute, and just as I had five seconds left I grabbed the lapel of his tux and pinned my ribbon on him.

"I hope it's you," I whispered into his ear just as the timer sounded.


	3. The Wager

**BPOV**

The dim lights faded to black and within seconds, just as the lights went bright, all of the possible bachelors in the room had vanished.

"It's eight o'clock, ladies," Heidi announced loudly through her microphone. "I hope you all got your ribbons pinned on the man of your choice! As to whether or not _your_ guy is the _one_, we shall just have to wait and see."

Marcus stepped in to go over the rules about how we were all to meet in a certain room at nine o'clock sharp and that the Bachelor's identity would be revealed then. He mentioned that there were going to be prizes for the lady, or ladies, who correctly guessed the true Bachelor.

"_Please, let him be the one," _I begged in my head. If he wasn't the real Bachelor, Edward might slip away within the hour, and I felt sick at the thought of never being able to find him again. _"Please…"_

I suddenly saw Alice enter the room and I ran toward her as quickly as I could without tripping all over myself, or anyone else, in my heels. I wrapped my arms around her tightly.

"Where were you," I asked. "I was worried sick! Is everything okay?"

"Of course." She sounded very casual.

"Well," I interrogated, shaking my head a little in disbelief that this was all she had to say. "_What_ happened?"

"Trust me, Bella. Everything is fine."

"But you missed out on the ribbon-pinning ball. You never got to dance with anyone."

"That's okay."

"Are you going to tell me anything else? Like where you went, for example?"

"I was called away," she answered. "I had some very important business to attend to."

"More important than the ball?" I must have sounded incredulous. I just couldn't find it in me to believe that she made such a fuss about the dresses, and the hair, and the makeup only to not give a care in the world as to whether or not she actually attended.

"I'm sorry, Bella. This must be frustrating for you. I promise that everything is alright and that everything will become clear in due time. For now, let's go enjoy the hour until we have to be ready for the big reveal. Are you excited to find out who the guy is? Tell me about the one you pinned _your_ ribbon on."

I explained everything about Edward Cullen. I described how beautiful his eyes were and how mysterious and handsome he was. I told her about how everything about him drew me to him – that it was like some kind of magic pressing us together and that everything about him felt absolutely intoxicating when I was with him.

"So, do you think he could be the one," she asked.

"I sure hope so," I said. "Or I might just have to hop on a plane to _your_ hometown and track him down."

"Chicago is a big city," she said.

"I keep hearing that."

"You'll have to come visit sometime," she continued. "No matter what happens, I'm so glad to have met you."

I gave her a hug. "We will have to be pen pals."

"I feel more like we're meant to be sisters, Bella."

"I'll make you my honorary sister, then."

"And you can be mine!"

We decided to head back to the kitchen, hoping to find more of the treatsy dessert trays. We were all alone,snacking away, when Alice became startled at a pair of voices approaching from the hall. One sounded like it was snapping at the other. Alice grabbed my arm and quickly pulled me into an oversized pantry, then pressed her finger to her lips.

"What's going on," I whispered.

"Shh," she shushed, and we listened.

"You _fool_," said a harsh voice. It startled me and I jumped back a little, knocking into one of the shelves. The other voice sounded immediately, masking the accidental sound I made.

"I didn't know what else to do!" This was Tanya's voice.

"You should have just been honest about your dress measurements," snapped the first voice.

"I did," Tanya argued.

"A _four_, Tanya?" I could tell that she was looking over Tanya critically.

"Maybe I lied a little, but I didn't think it would matter!"

"Well, it _did_. And then you had to massacre the gown and make a fool out of yourself. You looked like an idiot! Simply _pathetic_! I am in just the sort of frame of mind to kick your ass out of our alliance!"

"Please," Tanya begged, "don't! I won't last without you. I've made such a terrible first impression."

"You would have been better off not attending at all. You should have lied and said you'd fallen ill. At least then you would have been able to have pity rather than ridicule."

"Nothing like that will happen again."

"See that it _doesn't_!"

"What's the plan, then?"

"We have to find the girls that he is interested in and pick them off one by one."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Leave that to me, Tanya, dear. Come on. Let's hurry. We need to huddle with the others if we're going to get our plan set in motion."

Alice and I waited until we were sure they were gone before we opened the pantry door.

"What was all that about," I asked.

She narrowed her eyes. "It's the plot," she said. "Thickening, I think."

"How many mean girls do you think there are?"

"Plenty, I'm sure!" She rolled her eyes and huffed.

"What are they going to do to us," I asked. "To pick us off, I mean?"

"I don't know yet. But we should do everything we can to find out. Come on."

She motioned for me to follow her. We went into the designated room for the reveal. There was greenery everywhere, and much of the floor was made of glass with all kinds of exotic sea life swimming beneath us. Rows of chairs were set up facing a platform stage. Each chair was assigned to one of the girls. I was sad when I noticed that Alice's chair was on the very opposite end of the row as mine.

"Miss Bella," Ernie called to me. "Could you please come with me?"

"See you soon," Alice said.

I followed Ernie to another room where Bean and a small camera and lighting crew were waiting. The same interview chair was waiting for me.

"This will only take a few minutes," Bean explained. "We need to get more interview footage from you before the Bachelor is revealed."

"Okay." I sat down.

"Tell us what will be going through your mind if you picked the right guy tonight."

"I would be _thrilled_!" I felt a huge smile on my face. "I would just be so excited. I so much _want_ it to be Edward Cullen."

"And so, what if Edward isn't the one?"

I didn't hesitate. "If Edward isn't the one, then I quit."

"You would quit the show? Tell us why."

"If Edward isn't the Bachelor, I still feel like he's the _one_ for me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I can just _feel_ it, you know?"

"Tell us what it feels like."

"It feels powerful and it's a feeling that I'm confident about. I feel it when I looked into his eyes and when our cheeks touched. It feels like it's all meant to be."

"Can you describe what it is, besides this very strong feeling, that made you single Edward out tonight?"

"At first I was actually trying to guess who the Bachelor really was. I narrowed it down to a few guys, and Edward was among them. But there was something about him, and I'm sorry, but I can't place that strong feeling aside because that's what gave me that gut feeling to go to him. When I started dancing with him, it didn't really matter to me anymore if he was the Bachelor or not."

"How do you mean?"

"He feels right. And now that we're separated, I don't feel quite the same anymore. Like something has changed somehow. It all goes back to that feeling."

"Do you think the feeling is mutual?"

I stopped, suddenly realizing that this man may not actually feel anything for me at all! That he might have just been polite, all for the sake of the show. Something inside of me went into panic mode. And what if Edward Cullen _was_ the Bachelor? That might not be such a good thing. It dawned on me that every girl in this house was going to be after him for one reason or another, and when these girls turned on their charms I might be sent home for lack of luster. Many of them may have been dumb as bricks, but they were beautiful. Super model beautiful! I suddenly felt very plain and unworthy to be here at all.

"Bean," Marcus interrupted as he stepped into the room. "It's time."

"I think we have enough," Bean told me. The camera and lighting crew began to wrap up. "You should get to your seat, Bella. We need to start on time."

I moved through the halls and back to the room with the glass floor. It was somehow less beautiful than before as I had just been shoved off of my Cloud Nine and back into the cut throat reality that this was a game show and every single woman in this house was in it to win it.

"_Please, don't let it be him," _I begged. _"Let it be someone else and let Edward return to Chicago, and please, help me find him there. Just don't let it be him."_

"Alright, ladies," Heidi addressed us through the microphone as she stepped up onto the stage. Marcus and Bean were on either side of her.

Several men entered the room and made their way onto the stage as well. Each of them had at least one ribbon pinned to their tux. Edward was mixed among them.

"It's time to find out who _he_ is," she said. The crowd cheered. "But first, we're going to have a little wager." The cheering stopped and all of the girls had their eyes glued to Heidi, wondering what was coming next. "All of your wardrobe sets is worth more than ten thousand dollars each. That's over a quarter of a million dollars in gowns and jewelry, ladies. Each of you gets to keep your set." There was much clapping and cheering. "Now, there can really be no way that any of you can be one hundred percent certain who the Bachelor is. I can tell you he's very wealthy, but I'm sure you've already figured that out for yourselves."

"Told you so," the girl next to me whispered loudly to the girl beside her.

"I can also tell you that he's very successful in the business world," Heidi went on. "But he is a very private man, who is taking a huge step out of his comfort zone to go on a national television show to maybe find that special someone. And there are twenty-five of you here tonight, but only one of you can win the Bachelor. And even if you win the show, there is no guarantee that you will secure his heart. You see, many shows like this do not end in a happily ever after. So some of you might be very interested in the Bachelor's offer."

A hush fell over the crowd of giddy girls as everyone waited eagerly to hear what Heidi would say next.

"The Bachelor is willing to offer any number of you this option: you may exchange tonight's wardrobe set for $150,000.00. No questions asked. Just raise your hand and leave the room. Maybe you chose the correct man, and maybe you didn't. You don't know for sure either way. If you're in it for the money, now is your time to collect. There will be no cash prize for winning the show."

"Is she serious," one of the girls asked.

"I am completely serious," Heidi confirmed. "The Bachelor is willing to pay you to leave now if you're looking to get money out of him rather than love. He would rather fork out that kind of dough than have anyone waste his time."

Two ladies stood up and left the room.

"Just the two," Heidi questioned with a skeptical brow. "If you're holding out for more money then you should know right now that this will not be a typical habit of the Bachelor's. He may very well never offer any of you a wager like this one ever again."

I wondered if maybe _I_ should stand up and leave. After all, Edward might not be the Bachelor and staying in my seat might all be for nothing. There was no one else that I wanted. But then, he _might_ be the Bachelor and if so then I would be demonstrating that I was more interested in money than in him, and that certainly wasn't true. But then, he might be the Bachelor _and_ not share my feelings of... could it be love?

I shook my head at the idea, attempting to recalibrate my focus. I remembered Heidi's warning, that there was absolutely _no_ guarantee that I would get a fairytale ending here.

I looked at Edward and he glanced at me. The very short second that we made eye contact made me feel certain that I wasn't willing to do anything that would risk making him think that I wasn't interested in him, even if he wasn't the Bachelor. I would rather lose out on $150,000.00 just so I could show him that I would give up anything to be with him.

One more girl stood up and left. Heidi scanned the rest of us, waiting for more to fold. A couple of minutes passed by before she was satisfied that the rest of us had decided for certain to stay.

"I'm surprised that only three of you took that offer," she admitted. "All but one of you may be leaving as poor as you arrived. I hope that there will be no hard feelings about that later. You will not have this opportunity again." Her warning felt cold.

She glanced around one last time to see if there were any takers. There weren't.

"On to the next bit of business, then," she said, resuming a more upbeat personality. "This next challenge is only relevant to the lady or ladies who correctly guessed the Bachelor's identity. She, or they, will be receiving a certain prize just for pinning their ribbons correctly. But these ladies have the chance to win a little something extra. Remember that your wardrobes this evening are valued at over ten _thousand_ dollars! As you keep that in mind, know that you have the opportunity to exchange them for the _chance _to win more time with the Bachelor. If you trade your dress in and you were right, you get to keep the gown and jewels. But if you are willing to trade it in and you guessed wrong, you lose the gown and jewels and get nothing. So, who, by show of hand, is willing to trade ten thousand dollars for a _chance_ to get more time with her special guy?"

My hand snapped up. I didn't care about my dress or the jewelry. I wanted to show Edward that I was willing to take a chance on him. I was willing to give everything I had been given here right back just to make him feel special. A few other girls slowly followed my lead and raised their hands. One girl who had raised her hand took it back down and said, "No, never mind."

Marcus wrote down the names of us who had raised our hands and kept them up.

"Very well," Heidi said. "Are we ready to finally meet the Bachelor?"

Claps and cheers erupted from the crowd of women.

One of the gentlemen stepped forward, and I sighed with relief that it wasn't Edward. I may have lost my gown and jewels, but at least now I could run after him when he left. The man stepped forward to a microphone that was placed center stage.

Some of the girls, who were scattered throughout the audience, cheered while others looked very disappointed. The girls who were cheering were excited to win the prize.

"Sorry ladies," he said apologetically. "I'm not the Bachelor."

The girls stopped cheering and gasped. One of them was so surprised by the twist that she placed both of her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide.

Another guy stepped forward, this time without any cheering from the girls. Some of them waited nervously to see if they had pinned their ribbon on the correct man.

"Sorry ladies," he said. "I'm not the Bachelor."

I started getting more and more nervous as the guys dwindled down. It was now between Edward and one other guy. I saw Edward shoot a glance to the far side of the room. He smiled at Alice. Something inside of me stirred. Was it jealousy?

I felt so ashamed of myself. Alice had been nothing but kind to me and if he chose her over me then I would have to be understanding about that. After all, we had decided to be honorary sisters. I couldn't go back on that just because a man preferred her to me. Even still, the painful hole in my chest was getting bigger and bigger, and I felt like I might cry.

Then Edward stepped forward. Again, I was relieved. This meant that the last man was going to be the Bachelor instead of him. The pain subsided and I again felt hopeful.

"Sorry ladies," he started. Then he looked right at _me_. "Sorry to everyone, except Bella. Bella, I _am_ the Bachelor."

I felt a mixture of panic and delight overwhelm my senses, all at the same time. I took a deep breath. Had I heard him correctly? Was Edward _really_ the Bachelor?

"Bella," Heidi announced. "You're the winner! Come up here and claim your prize!"

I stood up slowly. Everything felt so surreal. Was I dreaming?

"Congratulations," Alice chirped happily as I walked by her to get to the stairs of the stage. She was genuinely happy that I had won. I felt disappointed in myself to know in my heart that I wouldn't have felt so excited for her if she had been on her way up to the center of the stage instead of me.

"Thank you," I told her.

She took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Looks like someone gets her Prince Charming," she teased.

I was so impressed that she could really be so excited for me. I was glad to have her as an honorary sister and I made a promise to myself then and there that I would never again be in any way bitter against Alice, no matter what. I would cherish her friendship and be a worthy friend to her in return.

Ernie helped me up the stairs and then I made eye contact with Edward. His eyes were even more piercing than when the lights had been dim in the ballroom. His smile was even more dazzling. His presence even more radiant. I felt like we were magnets and I wondered if he felt that, too.

"Bella," he said, taking my hand and giving it a kiss. There were a lot of ooh's and ah's from the audience.

I looked out and saw that a few of the girls looked like they were fuming. It was no surprise that Maria and Tanya were shooting daggers at me with their eyes, but there were a few other vicious looking girls that I had never so much as talked to before that looked like they wouldn't be interested much in getting to know me at all. Such as a girl with chin length blonde hair, and another with wild, long red curls. I wondered if these were some of the girls who were going to try to pick everyone off one by one, and if so, I had just become number one on their hit list.

"Congratulations," Edward whispered in my ear. "Here is your prize." He took two envelopes out of his breast pocket and handed them to me. "Open them," he encouraged.

The first contained a ticket to the Study for an allotted time between 11:00 and 11:30. The second contained a ticket to attend Breakfast in the Guest House alone with Edward first thing in the morning.

"Winning these prizes also ensures that Bella will not be sent home tonight," Heidi announced. "However, a total of ten ladies will be."

There was a gasp from the crowd.

"Ten?!" They were all wondering out loud why so many had to leave on the very first night. Many of the girls were arguing that they had just arrived and that this wasn't going to be fair.

"Ten," Heidi repeated the dreadful number.

Regardless of Edward's smile at Alice, I hoped she wouldn't be among the ten sent away.

"Though you should feel a little relieved to know that three of them have already selected themselves. That means that seven of you remain. Now you may be wondering how on earth Edward is going to make his choice?"

Edward helped me back down the stairs and to my seat before leaving the room.

Heidi continued to explain how the show would run for the remainder of the evening: "There are twenty-two contestants remaining. Those of you who are eligible to remain on the show will only have half an hour to shine, and you will be in group settings. There will be two groups consisting of seven girls and a third group consisting of eight girls. The groups will be selected at random. The first group will meet with Edward from nine-thirty to ten. The second group from ten to ten-thirty, and the third group from ten-thirty to eleven, after which Bella will get to have some one-on-one time with Edward Cullen, the Bachelor!"

XXXXXXXXXX

**A/N:** Thanks to all of you who are reading (or re-reading) the story. I'm just curious as to how many of you out there were original readers a few years ago. Let me know if you are an original reader and if so, which part of the story was your favorite or what about it stuck out the most that would make you want to read it again.

If you are a first-time-'rounder, please let me know what you like about it so far!

Yours,

Stephanie


	4. Loveapple and Ocean

**BPOV**

"Will we get to see the girls who are leaving before they go," one of the girls asked Bean as we were on our way back upstairs.

"No," he said. "Mr. Cullen is in his office with them, cutting them their checks right now. Ernie is collecting their things from their rooms and they are leaving straightaway."

"That's fast," I whispered to Alice.

"There's no reason for those girls to linger around," Alice said. "As for me, I'm glad they're gone. They're obviously not the right girls to be competing for the Bachelor's heart."

Marcus handed each of us a slip of paper on our way out. "Your time slots have been recorded, so don't even think about trading," he warned.

"What's yours say," I asked Alice.

"I'm in the group that's first to go," she said. "And you?"

"Ten-thirty to eleven. I'm last."

"That's good," she said with a grin. "That means that you'll get to transition right into your alone time with him. Good luck," she called as she met up with her group.

Heidi directed the first group of girls to follow her down a hallway that wrapped around to another part of the house. "Hurry," she kept repeating. "You're only wasting your own time with him by moving so slowly."

Bean and Marcus guided the rest of us into our respective groups. I only recognized one girl who was assigned the same time slot as me.

"Hello, Maria." I tried to sound pleasant enough. We were obviously both unhappy to be sharing a time slot together.

She rolled her eyes and turned her nose up at me. She turned to go stand next to the woman with long red hair who was staring so evilly at me earlier. Her loose curls cascaded down her back, the front pinned away from her face with a darling feathered clip. She wasn't seething at me this time, but rather smiling to be in company with someone she preferred to be around as Maria approached her. She looked rather beautiful when she wasn't angry.

They were joined by the one with blond hair to her chin, and they turned away from the rest of us to be more exclusive. They whispered quietly while turning to look at me from time to time.

"Hi," came an excited, high-pitched squeal from behind me. "I'm Jessica!"

"Bella."

"Yes, um…" She waved the other two girls over.

It was glitter-hair and neon cheetah-dress from earlier. They looked better now that they were wearing exquisite gowns that they didn't pick out themselves. One of them might have overdone it with the neon pink, lime green, and bright yellow eye shadow palette.

"This is Ocean and Loveapple," Jessica said. "They're in the Saffron Room with me. Is there anyone from your room in our group?"

I paused a moment, absorbing the fact that _Ocean_ and _Loveapple_ were their real names. "Just one," I finally answered. I nodded toward Maria.

"Ouch," Jessica laughed. "She scares me. I sure am glad she's not in _my_ room!"

"That's pretty kyuuuule," Ocean said. She sounded as though her thoughts were floating above clouds.

Did she just say _kyule_ in the place of _cool_?

"Well, it's nice to meet the three of you," I said, grateful that I had someone to pass the time with.

"Totally," Loveapple agreed. "It's like, so truly nice to meet you, too, Bell-uuuuh."

We managed to blow nearly all of the time together talking about absolutely _nothing_. These three had at least one talent: they could say loads of words and not actually mean anything by any of them. Our entire conversation had come no farther than when it had started when Heidi came to announce that it was our group's turn to spend time with Edward.

We were guided down a long hallway as Loveapple continued to jabber on. "I think that we should totally, like, name our group the Rainbow Moons!"

Was she five?

"Why would we name our group," I asked.

"Teamwork," she said. "Duhhh!"

"Gahl, Bella," Ocean said. "Don't you know anything about teams? Every team has to have a totally kickass name, otherwise it doesn't even matter if they win or not." She rolled her eyes in a nineties valley girl way.

"Oh, right," I said, trying not to laugh.

I heard Maria and her two pals chortling as they overheard Loveapple's idea.

"So retarded," I heard the redhead whisper loudly to Maria and the blonde.

"Helps our chances to win," I overheard the blonde say. "If he associates _her_ with them then he might think she is stupid, too."

They laughed as they looked back at us, then turned around and whispered some more. I tried to listen in to determine if they were plotting anything. I hoped that I could gather intel on the mean girls and share it with Alice. Maybe we'd have to come up with a battle plan of our own?

"Don't you agree, Bella," I heard Jessica say.

"Sorry. What was that?"

"Don't you agree that Garfield was a TV show before it was a movie?"

"No," Ocean said. "Garfield was a movie first."

"Yeah, it was a movie," Loveapple said, sounding as though her two cents was the authority on the matter.

"It was a comic strip first," I said, trying to prevent them from arguing any further with one another.

"A _what_," Loveapple asked.

"A comic strip," I explained. "You know, the funnies in the paper?"

"What paper," Ocean asked. She looked bewildered.

"Never mind," I insisted.

We were led through two large double doors.

"Good luck, ladies," Heidi said.

We entered a spacious, round library. There were built in shelves from floor-to-ceiling, which must have been twenty-five feet high. At the very opposite end of the room were floor-to-ceiling windows. In the center of the room was a round rug, not covering the dark wood floors completely. A pair of couches faced one another, and a glossy black grand piano stood askew behind one of them.

Edward was sitting on one of the couches waiting for us to join him.

"Hello there," Maria said in her played up, seductive Spanish accent.

"It's so nice to see you, Edward," the blonde interrupted. She nearly pushed Maria out of the way to get to him.

Edward looked at her like he was familiar with her.

I took a seat so that I was on the other couch, directly across from Edward. The other girls tried to pile in around Edward.

"I don't think we're all going to fit, ladies," he laughed politely.

Loveapple and Jessica reluctantly sat on my couch, one on either side of me.

"So, ladies," Edward began. "How have your evenings been so far?"

"So much better now that I'm here with _you_," Maria said, snuggling up to him. She put one hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze.

"I've never been in here before," the blonde said. Did she already know him?

"I have," Victoria smiled playfully.

"Have you all met one another," he asked us.

Loveapple raised her hand like a schoolgirl, waiting for Edward to call on her. He wondered what she was doing at first, and then nodded at her.

"I'm Loveapple Smith," she squealed.

"And I'm Ocean Jones!"

"Great," Edward said with a polite smile.

"Bella, do you know the other girls?"

"I'm Victoria James," said the redhead.

"I'm Jane Volterra, of the Roman Volterra Enterprises," said the blonde.

"And you already know that I'm Maria. Maria South."

"Bella," I said.

"The one who got it right," Edward added. He smiled at me. It gave me goose bumps.

"I didn't think it would be fair to put my ribbon on you, silly," Jane said, slapping Edward's arm playfully. "Our father's do business together. I knew it was him all along."

Her explanation made my insides crumble. Edward already knowing Jane gave her an advantage that I could never get.

"And Victoria, do your father's do business as well," I inquired.

"No," she said with a single laugh. "That's not how Edward and I are acquainted."

I wanted to press her with more questions, but I didn't want to appear to be rude.

"So maybe we could go around and each say something interesting about ourselves," Edward offered.

Loveapple stood up. "I'm not wearing any panties," she shouted.

Victoria rolled her eyes.

"That makes it your turn, Bella," Loveapple instructed.

I felt Edward's eyes on me. Everyone was waiting to hear what I would say, and I felt so nervous all of a sudden.

"I like to go fishing," I said. It was the first thing that popped into my head. I wished I could go back and come up with something more impressive to reveal.

"That _is_ very interesting, Bella," Edward commented. "Do you live near a lake?"

"I live next to an ocean," I said.

"Ooh, that's _my_ name," Ocean said excitedly.

"Which one," Loveapple asked. "The Atlantic or the Red Sea?"

"The North Pacific," I answered.

The mean girls were snickering at Loveapple's question.

"How far north," Edward asked.

"I live in a small town called Forks. It's between the Olympic mountains and the Pacific Ocean beaches."

"Do you ever go hiking," Edward asked.

"Sometimes. But you have to be careful which trails you pick. I'm not a super experienced hiker, and the woods are really thick. I wouldn't want to get lost in them."

"Have you ever been eaten by a bear," Ocean asked.

"Excuse me," I asked, unsure if I heard her correctly.

"She _obviously_ has never been eaten by a bear," Victoria scoffed.

"How do _you_ know," Ocean argued.

"Jessica, how about you," Edward asked.

"My favorite colors are pink, purple, and a light shade of blue, but totally not baby blue. I have, like, five cats or something. I don't know. I think one of my cats is a slut. She got out and might be pregnant, so I might actually have more cats growing inside this one cat, so like, I might have up to ten or something like that cats."

"Oh," Edward said, nodding his head. "So, you like cats, then?"

"_Love_ them. Like, totally, I super love cats. I would totally _be_ a cat if I could. When I was in, like, sixth grade, or maybe it was third or something, like, I totally wrote an essay on how when I grow up, I'm like totally going to be a cat."

"What college do you have to go to, to get a degree in being a cat," Loveapple asked.

"Like, duh," Ocean interrupted, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure it's like, a vocation training program or something like that."

"I'm not a cat, though," Jessica said.

"Maybe someday soon, though," Loveapple said, giving Jessica's hand a pat. "It's important to follow your dreams."

Edward turned to his right. "Maria?"

"My family owns many luxury hotels in Mexico and South America. I am set to inherit quite a large fortune, and I have a degree in Business."

"Very accomplished," Edward said, flattering her.

It was now Jane's turn. I was curious to see what she would reveal, given that she and Edward seemed to already know one another well enough.

"Edward doesn't know this, but he was my very first kiss."

"No," he said. "That can't be true."

"It _is_," she giggled. "Back when I was ten, remember? We kissed on the Fourth of July at our dads' business party. Don't tell me you forgot."

He looked uneasy. I hoped he had forgotten.

"No, of course not," he said. I prayed it was a lie.

"Something interesting about me…" Victoria muttered loudly enough for us all to hear. "Hmm…"

"You think on it a minute and we'll come back to you," Edward said.

"And cut me away from my rightful turn?" She tried to look calm and playful, but I could tell from her eyes that within, she was a raging tempest.

"I'm sorry, go ahead, if you have something to say," Edward offered. He looked like he wasn't at all happy to have her around.

"I think I should take this time to add that I'm an inventor, too," Ocean said.

"An inventor," Edward asked.

She nodded her head. "Uh-huh. I invented clips that you put in your hair and they have longer hair than you have and they make all of your hair look like it's really long."

"Hair extensions," Edward asked. "You invented them?"

"Yeah! I thought of that when I was, like, six or something. And then it came true!"

"I see," Edward said delicately.

Victoria looked angry that she had been interrupted, and all for this.

"And what's more," Ocean continued, "I feel in my heart like I should point out that I'm actually wearing less underwear than Loveapple."

"What?!" Loveapple stood up quickly. "That can't even be a scientific fact because I'm wearing _zero_ underwear!"

"Well, I'm wearing _less_ than that," Ocean argued.

The girls continued to squabble back and forth while Maria grabbed Edward's knee again and inched her way up.

"Whoa there," he said, taking her hand and setting it in her own lap. "Girls!" He tried addressing Ocean and Loveapple a few times, but they were yelling too loudly to hear him. He wasn't willing to raise his voice too much at them.

"Oh, yeah," Loveapple questioned Ocean as she took the bottom of her own dress and pulled it over her head. "Are you wearing less than _this_?!"

"Yeah!" Ocean was about to pull her dress up too when Edward stopped her.

"There's no need for evidence, Loveapple. You may put your dress down." She took his advice, then sat down.

"Well, I think our time is up, ladies. I will see you all again at midnight."

We all got up and turned to leave. I was almost through the doors when I heard him say, "Not so quickly, Bella."

I could feel that he was smiling as he said my name. I relished how the tips of his fingers felt as he took me by the shoulder to turn me around.

"_You_ get to stay here with me," he stated.

He closed the double doors as the other girls made their exit, and then he turned around to face me.

"I've looked forward to seeing you again, Bella."

XXXXXXX

**A/N:** Ocean and Loveapple were so much fun to write for! I included some of their old dialogue, and added a little something new.

In the past, readers have asked how it was that I came up with these two names. The fact is that I went through a long list of names that I thought might suit them, but I was so worried that they might be some of my readers' names, and I didn't want anyone to think that I thought their names fit a pair of idiots like these two, so I came up with some wilder names. Loveapple – I don't think a soul in the world is named Loveapple! I imagine that someone out there might be named Ocean, which is a pretty name, but I feel it's uncommon enough to assign to this particular character.

They were only ever meant to be static characters placed for humor, but I think I'm going to give them a little more time in the spotlight in the Second Edition.

As ever, thank you for reading! I hope you'll enjoy the story. It won't be quite the same as last time. I have a lot of new material to add and so I'm sure that even if you've read it before there will be many new things to experience with this pair of lovebirds!

-Stephanie


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